When people ask me about Portland, I can brag about many aspects of my adopted home. I love the restaurants and the art galleries, the feeling of walking through the West End during a snowstorm or picnicking on the Eastern Promenade on a clear summer day.

But the best thing about the city?

I can be out of the city and in nature in 5 minutes flat.

I moved to Maine nearly 10 years ago to work at the Press Herald, and I made my home here in part because the state offers so many opportunities to be outside. Now, I’ve taken over a beat covering the outdoors and tourism, and I want to get outside with you.

We know that people move to and visit Maine to explore the outdoors. I love to paddle my massive red tandem kayak on the ocean with my husband, and we’ve camped on Jewell Island in Casco Bay and Sheep Island near Stonington in summers past. I’ve summited Mount Katahdin in the summer and hope to someday do it in the winter. I want to get better at skiing and to try whitewater rafting in the Forks.

I’ve already started writing about the demand for winter recreation essentials at local gear libraries and the complexities of Maine’s lottery for moose hunters. I traveled to Fort Kent for the Can-Am International Sled Dog Races in February, and did a story closer to home about an effort to connect two popular trail networks in Portland.

I want to write stories about the places you love and the ones you want to visit.

So tell me: What are your favorite trails or islands or climbing routes? What stories should I be telling about being outside in Maine?

I’ll be covering hunting and fishing, two areas where I’m not experienced but excited to learn. I’m eager to learn about the growing economy around outdoor recreation and about how Mainers are addressing challenges in the industry, including workforce housing and training.

I am also planning to write about state and national parks, as well as the long tradition of public access to private land in our state.

My new beat also includes tourism. Right now, I’m working on a story about how high prices for gas and airfare might be impacting travel plans. I’d love to get your input.

I’m also thinking about the many people who make sure visitors have a good experience in Maine, and I want to go behind the scenes to celebrate the workers we don’t always see.

Who keeps the outhouses clean at the trailhead? Who cleans the sheets at a luxury coastal hotel? Who loads your bags onto the plane at the Portland International Jetport?

Send me your ideas and questions, too.

I hope my stories always invite you to get outside in this beautiful state, and I hope I’ll be there with you.